Harry Potter and the Years of Fire: Year 1
by Black Phoenix 7777
Summary: Slight X-Men crossover. Instead of Ron and Hermione, Harry's friends are Daphne Greengrass and a certain redhead. What adventures await them? Harry/Tonks, high chance of becoming Harry/Tonks/Fleur. Ron bashing, slight Hermione bashing. R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Jean Gray

**Chapter 1**

Harry looked with awe at the massive red train in front of him. However, seeing as it would start in only five minutes, he shook his amazement away and got in, trying to find an empty compartment.

Most of them were full, but he did find one where there was only a girl sitting inside, looking outside. Harry coughed to gain her attention and asked if he could sit there.

"Sure." replied the girl smiling.

Harry sat opposite of her and studied her. She had short bright red hair, bright green eyes and was about an inch taller than him.

"Thanks. My name is Harry Potter." he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jean. Jean Gray." the girl introduced herself in turn.

Before any of them could say anything else, the door to the compartment opened and a tall for his age red haired boy with lot of freckles appeared. "Hi. Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." he asked

Harry looked at Jean, who shrugged.

"Sure, come on in." said Harry.

The boy thanked them and sat down next to Harry.

"I'm Ron Weasley, what are your names?" he asked.

"Jean Gray."

"Harry Potter."

Ron's reaction to Harry stating his name was immediate. His jaw almost touched the floor and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets in their attempt to look closer at Harry's forehead, making Harry more than a little nervous.

Thankfully for him, Jean intervened. "I don't know why you reacted like that to his name, but it's really rude to stare at people like they are a zoo attraction you know." she scolded him.

However, instead of offering an apology, Ron simply looked at her incredulously. "You mean you don't know who he is? What are you, a muggleborn? Not that I have any problem if you are." he hastily added. His mother being who she was, Ron knew all too well how terrible a pissed of redhead female could be.

Jean shrugged. "I guess so. Professor Dumbledore said I'm one too." she answered.

After another minute of Ron mimicking a fish, he managed to ask. "You've met Dumbledore? How? When?"

For the first time Jean looked nervous. "Well, he came to my house and explained to me and my parents the whole thing about magic and then accompanied me to Diagon Alley so that I could get my things."

Now, nobody would ever say that Ron was the sharpest tool in the box, but even he could tell that there was something wrong with this. "I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of modern times would get in so much trouble for a simple muggleborn. I mean", he turned to Harry, "he didn't come for you, did he? And you are Harry Potter."

Quickly taking the chance to change the subject, Jean asked "What's the matter about him that makes you react like this anyway?"

So, after Harry told her the story about him and Voldemort, Jean leaned back to think. "You know", she said after a couple of minutes, "don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think there is a reason to call you a hero. I mean, I know next to nothing about how magic works, but you have to admit that it seems strange that a mere baby survived where so many other wizards and witches have died. Odds are, you survived and Voldemort died thanks to something your parents did."

Harry thought about it and had to admit that it sounded logical. Before he could voice his thoughts however, Ron decided to put his foot in his mouth.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure she says this just because she jealous of you." he said.

This of course only served to make Jean angry. "Oh really? It wasn't me that thought that Harry was a lucky bastard for being born famous when I met him!"

"H…how did you know what I thought?" stammered Ron.

"You are just easy to read." replied Jean quickly… too quickly, not that either of the other two could tell, which was good for her.

Before Ron could respond, Harry intervened. "You mean you really did think that? Get out of here Weasley."

Ron tried to argue, but Harry wouldn't budge. After they got rid of the idiot, Harry turned to Jean.

"Wow, you must be really sharp to be able to tell what he was thinking." he told her admiringly.

Jean just waved him off.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry spoke again. "About what you said earlier, about me, my parents and Voldemort…I agree with you. I just hope that more people will think of it like you. That way they might leave me alone."

Jean smiled at him in response.

Unfortunately, their peace didn't last long. Not even half an hour later the door to their compartment opened again and in came a blonde kid with a very conceited look on his face. He was already wearing his Hogwarts robes and was accompanied by two other boys who looked to be some sort of human-chimpanzee hybrids.

The boy looked at Harry for a few seconds before speaking. "So is true what they are saying? Is Harry Potter indeed in the train?"

Harry decided he didn't like the newcomer. "And who wants to know?" he asked back.

The boy seemed taken aback for a second, but he replied nonetheless. "I'm Draco Malfoy, Scion of the most Noble House of Malfoy. These are Crabbe and Goyle."

"Well, Malfoy, I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen anyone called Harry Potter around here." replied Harry. Jean tried to hide her smile.

"Don't lie to me Potter. I heard the Weasley talking about you." shot back Malfoy, getting angry.

"I didn't lie to you. You asked me if I've seen Harry Potter. Since the train doesn't have anything resembling a mirror in it, I didn't have the chance to see myself yet." answered Harry smirking. Jean giggled hearing this.

Malfoy shot her a glare before turning back to Harry. "Don't play with me Potter. Anyway, I came here to offer you my friendship. You will find out that there are some wizarding families that are better than others-and certainly better than those filthy muggleborns." he added the last part glancing at Jean.

By this point Harry have had enough. "You know what Malfoy, I'm getting really bored of listening to your voice, so do me and Jean a favour and get the hell out of here."

Malfoy scowled. "Fine Potter, but you will regret it, mark my words."

He turned to leave, but somehow his robes got in the way, making him trip, fall on his pet gorillas and all three of them form a human heap outside the compartment door.

Harry stood up and closed the door laughing all the while, as did Jean.

"You know, I liked the bit about the mirror. You are smarter than you look…" she told him when he sat back down.

"Why thank you." replied Harry with a smug smile, which vanished when Jean finished her sentence. "…even if it would be very difficult for you to be as stupid as you look."

Harry mock scowled and turned his back to her, which resulted in Jean dissolving into a fit of giggles, Harry following suit soon after.

The spent the next couple of hours talking about what Hogwarts would be like. During that time, the trolley passed and Harry, since this was the first time in his life that he had money, decided to take the chance to treat his friend.

At some point Harry decided to ask Jean about what Weasley had said earlier, about her and Dumbledore.

"So, what is the real reason that Dumbledore came personally to you? If you want to tell me of course. If not, it's alright, I don't care." he added hastily.

Jean laughed at his anxious face and then sighed. "Oh well. You will find out anyway when the lessons start, so I might as well tell you. Or rather, show you. By doing magic."

Just then the door to their compartment opened once again and two girls came in. One had bushy brown hair, brown eyes, rather large front teeth, was about the same height as Harry and had a very bossy expression. The other was as tall as Jean, had long blond hair caught in a ponytail and blue eyes. She held herself in a rather aloof and detached way, as if to say that everyone in there was below her.

"Oh, what now? Who are you and what do you want?" asked Jean exasperated.

"I heard something about someone doing magic, and I wanted to see. I'm Hermione Granger." said the brunette.

"Same here. I'm Daphne Greengrass." said the blonde.

"Fine. You would see it anyway." Jean sighed but agreed.

Then she raised her hand… and Harry's wand flew to it, effectively making everyone's jaws hit the ground.

Jean laughed nervously at their expressions and explained. "You see, that's why Professor Dumbledore came personally to me. I have been able to do this since a very young age. The muggles call this telekinesis, and while my parents found it unusual and forbid me from doing it in front of others, we never suspected magic as the reason behind it. Until Professor Dumbledore visited us that is. He said that he can't explain it either. The best guess that he could come up with was that for some reason I could command magic through thought alone, without needing a focus. When he took me to Diagon Alley, we found out that using a wand hinders me rather than aiding me. In short, it means that I'll never need a wand, that I'll be able to do more difficult and complex spells easier, and use this telekinesis of mine, though the best I've managed to do with it till now was lift a bike about two meters from the ground."

The first to react after hearing this was Hermione. She huffed, glared at Jean, and left, banging the door behind her.

Daphne raised an eyebrow at this. "Wow, somebody got her knickers in a twist." she turned to Jean. "I guess she was jealous of you. I guess I am too, but not to the point of being angry with you. I doubt you asked for it anyway." she continued.

"Yeah, same here." nodded Harry his agreement.

Daphne coughed to gain their attention. "I think I should properly introduce myself, as well as tell you the second reason I came here. I'm Daphne Greengrass, Scion of the most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. I'm here because I don't trust the words of idiots like Weasley or pompous asses like Malfoy, so I wanted to form my own opinion about you, Lord Potter."

Harry blinked hearing this. "Errr… While I'm happy to hear your opinion about Weasley and Malfoy, why did you call me Lord Potter?" he asked.

Daphne looked at him strangely, then understood. "Oh, of course. I forgot you were raised by muggles. Might I sit?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Sure. Anyone who doesn't like Weasley and Malfoy is OK in my book." he said, looking at Jean for her opinion, who nodded in agreement.

Daphne thanked them, sat down and started explaining. "You see, according to how old a pureblood house is, it can attain Noble and Ancient status. There are many-relatively speaking-Noble Houses, but there are very few that are both Noble and Ancient, and many of them are close to dying out. There is your own house, House Potter, of which only you remain, my own house, House Greengrass, House Dumbledore, of which only Professor Dumbledore remains, who is WAY too old to have children, House Black, whose last member is in Azkaban, and House Bones, of which only two members remain, Amelia Bones, who is Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Susan Bones, who starts Hogwarts with us this year. Since you are the last living Potter, once you come of age, you will be named Head of your House, as well as receive your full inheritance and a seat in Wizengamot, the ruling body of magical society in England. I think you should also know that the Ancient houses are the richest and strongest politically amongst the other houses and that amongst the five Ancient Houses, House Potter was the greatest, both in wealth and political pull."

Jean recovered quite quickly from hearing this news about her friend, but Harry right now was doing the same thing that Weasley was doing earlier, mimicking a fish.

The two girls observed him for a couple of minutes before Jean spoke to Daphne. "I think you broke him." which made both girls dissolve in a fit of giggles, Daphne for the first time losing her aloof expression and relaxing.

Their giggles also served to shake Harry out of his stupor. He glared at them and told them to stop. Jean mockingly bowed to him and said "Of course, please forgive us my Lord." making everyone laugh.

The ice being broken, the three started to talk, Jean and Harry asking Daphne about the magical world and Daphne asking them about the muggle world.

At some point the discussion came to what house they thought they would be and Daphne told them that she would probably be Slytherin. Harry was surprised at this, because Hagrid had told him that all evil wizards had come from Slytherin. Daphne however seemed alright to him, so he told her about it.

"That's the usual prejudice against Slytherins that started ever since Grindelwald and became worse after You-Know-Who." scoffed Daphne. "Slytherin is the house of those who use cunning to further their goals. That doesn't make them evil. Though I'll admit that, according to my parents, the standards have fallen lately and Slytherin indeed looks like a house for evil people. People like Malfoy and his ilk."

Harry and Jean exchanged a look and then turned to Daphne. "Don't worry Daphne, we promise that no matter what house we will be sorted to, we will still be friends with one another. Don't you agree?" said Jean.

Daphne looked relieved and nodded in agreement. Then Jean decided to ask something else she had observed. "Hey, Daphne, tell me something. When you first got in you seemed rather distant, contrary to now. Was there any reason for this?"

Daphne nodded. "Yes there is. I've been taught to be like that when I'm with people that I don't know or don't like. It shows strength."

By that time, night had fallen and they were getting near Hogwarts, so they decided to put their robes on.

Jean suddenly looked very nervous and looked at the other two as if she wanted to tell them something but was afraid of their reaction.

"Jean what's wrong? Are you OK?" asked Daphne, observing her friend's uneasiness.

Jean took a deep breath to calm herself and then spoke to the other two. "If we are going to be friends, there is something else that you should know about me. You see, I have another ability that I didn't tell you about. I'm telepathic."

Daphne didn't know what that means, it being a muggle term, but Harry understood it just fine. "You mean you can…?" he asked.

Jean nodded. "Yes, I can read minds. What's worse, I can't fully control it yet. There are times I see other peoples thoughts without meaning to, like before with Weasley. But don't worry, I promise I won't try read your minds." she hastily added the last part, hoping that they wouldn't mind.

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look and the smiled. "We really don't mind Jean, calm down." said Harry reassuringly.

"Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing. I mean, think the possibilities. Can you talk to us in our minds?"

"_Yes I can." _both Harry and Daphne heard Jean's voice speaking in their minds.

An evil smile formed on Daphne's face. "That's just perfect. We will be able to ace all tests easily. We will be able to take the answers from other people. Or, if Jean doesn't feel right doing this, each of us will only study for different subjects and then we will help one another."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "I see why you believe that you will be in Slytherin." then an equally evil smile formed on his face. "But you're right. What's more imagine all the pranks we could pull with the aid of her telekinesis. All that provided you want to of course. And if you don't we won't hold it against you in any way." said Harry, adding the last part looking reassuringly at Jean, Daphne nodding in agreement.

Jean smiled at them. "Don't worry, I don't have any problem with it. Especially the pulling pranks part." said Jean.

Suddenly, every person on the train and all the professors in Hogwarts felt a chill go down their spines, with the exception of two certain redheads that felt like cheering.

When the train stopped and they got outside, they met Hagrid shouting for all first years to follow him. The three friends followed the others and pretty soon reached a lake with lots of boats at its shores. Following Hagrid's orders of four people in each boat, the three got in one, accompanied by a girl that looked Chinese.

Pretty soon they saw Hogwarts, and even Daphne, whose parents have told her about it, couldn't help feeling awe at the sight.

When they got off the boats they followed Hagrid again, who lead them to the castle. When they reached it, the door was opened by a strict-looking woman who Hagrid introduced as Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall led them to the Great Hall and told them to wait outside. After a few minutes of wild speculation about how they would be sorted and a meeting with Hogwarts' ghosts, McGonagall returned and told them to follow them inside.

When they got inside the Great Hall, Harry, Jean and Daphne felt awe once again at the sight of the ceiling, with resembled the sky outside. Then their attention turned to the old non-descript hat that sat on a stool in front of them. Then the hat sang.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Once the hat finished its song, it bowed to the students of the four houses, who were clapping, and then remained silent.

Professor McGonagall then moved forward, carrying a list of names and started calling the first years one by one to be sorted.

As the three friends waited, they saw, amongst the other people shorted, Susan Bones Daphne told them about get sorted in Hufflepuff, one of Malfoy's friends, Crabbe get sorted in Slytherin, the bossy Granger girl get sorted in Gryffindor and then… "Gray, Jean".

Jean nervously moved forward, Harry and Daphne encouraging her. On her way, she glanced towards Professor Dumbledore, who smiled encouragingly at her.

Eventually, she reached the stool, put on the hat and sat down. Immediately she heard a voice speaking in her head.

"_Interesting, most interesting. You know, during the ten centuries I've been doing this, not once have I seen one like you. I'm eager to see what will happen to you. Still , that's of little importance right now. Now I have to sort you. Hmmm. Where to put you? You are definitely not a Slytherin, and while you have some Hufflepuff traits, your main characteristics are your sharp mind and your brave soul. You are either a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. But which of the two?" _

"_I would prefer to be a Gryffindor, if you don't mind." _thought Jean back_._

"_A Gryffindor? And why that is?" _asked the hat.

"_Because Harry looks more like the Gryffindor type, and since Daphne is sure she will go to Slytherin, I want at least one of my friends to at the same House with me."_

"_A Gryffindor friend with a Slytherin? I have to see that."_ said the hat amused.

Then it shouted "GRYFFINDOR". Jean removed the hat and sat to the Gryffindor table, where everyone was congratulating her, except Hermione who was glaring at her.

Then came Daphne's turn.

As soon as she put on the hat, she too heard it speak. _"Ahhh. So you are the Slytherin friend Miss Gray was talking about. She was right, you are indeed a Slytherin, and please allow me to say what a pleasure it is to see a true Slytherin. You are becoming pretty rare lately. Anyway, though you would make a fine Ravenclaw with your mind, as well as a fine Gryffindor, for it takes lot of courage to be a Slytherin with Gryffindor friends, you are, without a doubt a…" _"SLYTHERIN" shouted the hat at the end.

Daphne removed it and went to her table, given cheers from the Slytherins and sour looks from the other tables. Still, Jean and Harry were smiling at her, and that was all that mattered.

The sorting continued, Malfoy and Goyle also getting sorted to Slytherin, when at last Harry's turn came. When his name was announced, whispers filled the place, which didn't really help Harry's nervousness.

"_Well,__ well, well, what do we have here. Quite an interesting individual you are. And you would fit quite well in all houses, though the ones most suited to you are Gryffindor and Slytherin. A rare thing indeed. So, what do you think? Though I have to say that Slytherin would most definitely put you on the road for greatness."_ whispered the hat in Harry's mind.

Still Harry, never really cared about greatness, so he didn't think about it. He had one friend in each house, so he couldn't decide according to which house his friends were in, as he would usually do. He didn't really care about being either a Gryffindor or Slytherin, so it all came down to one thing. He would have to decide if he would have to spend the next seven years putting up with Malfoy in Slytherin or Weasley in Gryffindor, since Gryffindor seemed to collect them. Harry saw at least three others in the Gryffindor table. It was a pompous, probably malevolent , ass vs an extremely annoying idiot. Hmm. Difficult choice. Finally, after five minutes of thinking, he decided to go to Gryffindor. If nothing else, the people there seemed to be more fun than those of Slytherin.

After the house sorted him in Gryffindor, which result in deafening cheers from the older Gryffindors, especially the two twin Weasleys, who surprisingly looked a lot smarter and more fun than their younger brother, only three people remained, the last being Ron, who also came in Gryffindor.

So, in the end, after a very ice feat, a welcoming speech from Dumbledore, a warning not go near a certain corridor at the third floor, and a song, everybody started for their common rooms.

Jean and Harry would have waved to Daphne, but they saw that she wore her aloof expression again and guessed it wouldn't be a good idea. So, before she got too far, Jean used her telepathy to tell her that they would meet tomorrow.

When the Gryffindors reached the common rooms, everybody was tired and went to bed, as did the people from the other houses. Still, as Harry, Jean and Daphne were about to sleep, they couldn't help but think about what life in Hogwarts would be like and what adventures would come. Little did they know that they would have more adventures that they would ever want.

Meanwhile, at the headmaster's office, Professor Dumbledore was thinking about what he saw today, and had to admit that the signs were more than encouraging. Not only Harry befriended a Slytherin, which Dumbledore saw as a sign that at long last the gap between Gryffindors and Slytherins might start to close, he also befriended Jean Gray.

Dumbledore stopped and though about her for a while. She was indeed a marvelous person. She was gentle, but with an underlying toughness that implied it would be unwise to anger her. And she was _powerful_. Stronger than anything or anyone Dumbledore has ever seen, himself and Voldemort included. Dumbledore was really glad that she was friends with Harry, but he couldn't help but think what would happen if she ever turned dark or became crazy. It wouldn't be pretty.

Dumbledore shook these thoughts from his head. Still, as he went to sleep, he couldn't help but remember another very powerful child he had met. And while that child wasn't anywhere near Jean's raw power, he could, potentially, be a lot more dangerous. Dumbledore couldn't help but wonder what role he would play in the war that was to come.

For war was coming, of that Dumbledore was sure. "Four." he muttered. "Who are the other two? And even if they are found, will they be able to work together? Especially with him? He is too proud for his own good."

At the same time, in France, a twelve-year old boy, who had just returned to school after the summer vacation, was looking outside his room's window, towards England. _'Sooner or later I'll find you. And then I'll find out the truth.' _With this thought, he closed his window and went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: FIrst Day

**CHAPTER 2**

**First Day**

Harry woke up pretty early next morning. When he got to the common room, there were only three people there. Jean and the two twin Weasleys. They were talking.

"Good morning Harry." said Jean as soon as she saw him.

"Good morning Jean. First day of school, huh? Who are those two?"

"We are George…" started one.

"…and Fred Weasley. Nice to meet you." finished the other.

"We are here because…" took over George.

"… our little brother…" continued Fred.

"…told us a few things about you…"

"…yesterday on the train. Of course…"

"…knowing him we didn't…"

"…believe a thing. So after…"

"…some interrogation we found out…"

"…the truth and we wanted to tell you…"

"…not to worry about the idiot and that…"

"…if you and your friends…"

"…need any help,…"

"…especially in case you want…"

"…to pull a prank,…"

"…don't hesitate to…"

"…ask us, just don't…"

"…expect us to help…"

"…with the lessons." The two said, speaking alternatively.

"Okay, just stop this, you are giving me a headache." groaned Harry holding his head.

The twins laughed and turned to leave. "That's why we are doing it mate." said who Harry assumed to be George over his shoulder.

Once they were gone, Harry turned to Jean with a questioning look.

"They were telling the truth. They are nothing like their brother. Though, from the glimpse I took, we better be careful in case they decide to prank us." she said.

The two then went to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were very few people there. The where three people at the Hufflepuff table, five people at the Ravenclaw table, two at the Gryffindor table, the twin Weasleys, and only on at the Slytherin table, Daphne.

Seeing her, Harry and Jean waved at her to come and sit with them. She did so. The twins looked at her curiously.

"Friends with a Slytherin, Harry? We don't mind but, others will make yours and Jean's life difficult for this." said George.

Fred turned to Daphne. "And of course, you will have an even bigger problem when your house finds out."

Daphne waved their concern aside. "They won't try to do anything stupid. Doing so would make their families enemies of my family, and that's one of the last things they would want. Sure, they will ridicule me, call me names, etc, etc, but I don't really care about them."

Fred and George exchanged looks while Harry and Jean where making the introductions, not really sure about how right Daphne was, but decided to take her word for it. Then Harry said something that immediately got their attention.

"I think that sooner or later we will take you up on that prank offering."

While the five where coming up with various hair-raising schemes, most of which would have as a victim either Ron or Malfoy, or both if they were lucky, Dumbledore had called the potions professor to his office and was having a talk with him.

"Listen to me very carefully Severus. Young Harry has become friends with one of your Slytherins, one Daphne Greengrass. Now, I know very well of your hatred for his father, but Harry is not James, no matter how much he looks like him. I would have you remember it. Also, if you allow anything to happen to Ms Greengrass from the other Slytherins because of her friendship with Mr. Potter, there will be consequences. And don't even THINK of using legilimency on them. Am I understood, Severus?" said Dumbledore, looking at the other man sternly.

Severus Snape, Hogwarts' Potions Master, was a tall man, dressed completely in black, with extremely oily black hair and black eyes. He also hated James Potter, Harry's father, more than anyone else in the world. A hatred that didn't lessen with James' death.

He didn't like Dumbledore's orders, but he knew better than to disobey them.

"I understand, Headmaster." he said through gritted teeth. Then he left.

Dumbledore though about Snape for a while. Over the years, he had been called idiot, crazy, fool and other, less pleasant things, most from his old friend Alastor, for trusting Snape.

But Dumbledore was none of these things. He had led the wars against the two darkest wizards in history and he was still alive. He knew very well that Snape was not to be trusted. He only betrayed Voldemort in the first place in order to save the life of Lily Evans, a woman he was in love with since his school days. Now Lily was dead and all that remained of her was her son, Harry Potter, who was a carbon copy of his father. And Snape's hate for James Potter was legendary.

No, Albus Dumbledore knew better than to trust Severus Snape. He knew very well that the moment Voldemort returned, Snape would do one of two things. He would either go straight back to Voldemort's side, or he would pretend to still be on Dumbledore's side so he could send information to Voldemort. Dumbledore was sure he would do the second. And then he would be able to use him against Voldemort, at least until Voldemort found out that Snape is used, in which case he would kill him. That's how Voldemort worked.

Back to the Great Hall, the rest of the students started to arrive, forcing Daphne to go back to the Slytherin table. Since they had already eaten, Harry and Jean sat there and waited for Professor McGonagall to come and give them their schedules. In the meantime, they heard the rest of the first years speaking about their families and they were also treated to the lovely sight of Ron Weasley eating in a way that would make any pig green with envy.

Then they had a bit of a shock when all the owls of Hogwarts suddenly flew in, carrying the students' mail. Hedwig was also there, as was Jean's owl, a beautiful male owl with pure black feathers that was called Xavier. They didn't carry any letters, they just wanted to see their owners and maybe have some bacon. Hedwig and Xavier hit it off right from the beginning and soon flew away together.

By then, the breakfast had ended and professor McGonagall was approaching with their schedules. They saw that they would be sharing each of their classes with one of the other houses. The twins were looking their schedules over their shoulders.

"You are sharing potions with Slytherin? That's a new one." said George.

"Indeed. As far as we know it hasn't happened for years. I wonder what Dumbledore is thinking. This is a disaster waiting to happen." added Fred.

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

The twins grimaced. "Because Snape is the head of Slytherin." said George.

"And he is known to favor his own house while being very harsh with the other three, especially Gryffindor." added Fred.

Harry saw that Jean's eyes were slightly unfocused and he guessed she was talking with Daphne.

"Here it says we have Transfiguration with Slytherin for our first lesson. Can you take us to the classroom? We don't know where it is." he asked the twins.

"Sure."

"No problem." they answered.

They got up to leave, but then Jean told them to wait. When they asked her why, she pointed towards Daphne who was coming towards them. They looked at her curiously when she reached them.

"They are going to find out anyway. And I've no desire to hide for their benefit." she answered their questioning look.

When they looked at her admiringly, she waved them aside. "Don't look at me like that. You will go through the same thing as I from your house."

Then she smiled devilishly. "So, what do you say? Ready to stir a hornet's nest?"

Jean lifted an eyebrow. "More than we already have?" she asked, pointing at all the people that were looking at them and whispering.

All five of them laughed and then left for their classes.

Dumbledore, who had entered the Hall some time ago, looked at them leaving, his eyes twinkling like mad.

With the help of the twins, Harry, Jean and Daphne were the first to arrive to the classroom. When they got in they saw that the desks were made for three people each. They chose one at the very front of the classroom and sat down to wait for the Professor and their classmates to arrive, Jean sitting at the middle, Harry at her right and Daphne at her left.

It seemed that none of the other first years thought to ask an older student for directions, because the next person to enter was Professor McGonagall. She looked a little taken aback seeing two of her Gryffindors sitting with a Slytherin, but then a rare smile appeared on her face, if only for a second.

She didn't spoke to them, but instead sat at the chair behind her desk, not seeming overly upset with the absence of the rest of the students. Obviously, first years losing their way was a usual occurrence.

Eventually, most of the students gathered, but four were still missing. McGonagall decided that she wanted all her students gathered, so she decided to wait for them, though she was obviously not happy with their tardiness. It seemed that the excuse of being first year could only go so far.

While she didn't say anything to the students, not a whisper could be heard in the classroom. McGonagall's expression was enough of a warning for everyone not to speak.

Of course, this wasn't really a problem for Harry and his friends. They could talk easily with Jean's help. Even if she had to play messenger so that Harry and Daphne knew what each other was saying. She decided she needed to find a way to connect all three of their minds so that they would be able to talk freely with one another. Still, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it for quite some time, seeing that right now she had trouble with staying connected with two minds at the same time.

Eventually they heard the sound of people rushing down the corridor towards the classroom. McGonagall stood up and, with a glare that warned everyone to stay silent, transformed into a cat and jumped on her desk.

The door opened and four people came in. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Weasley. Malfoy and Weasley were accusing each other for making them late. Then Weasley looked around the classroom and saw that McGonagall was nowhere to be seen. Though it was strange for a cat to be on the teacher's desk. "Phew, it seems I'm here on time. I can't begin to imagine McGonagall's face if I was late." he muttered relieved.

Just then the cat jumped forward and turned back to McGonagall.

"Cool." managed to mutter Weasley, somehow hoping to avoid punishment through flattery.

It didn't work. "Thank you Mr. Weasley. Maybe I should turn you, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle to clocks so that you won't be so late next time."

"We got lost Professor." stuttered Malfoy.

"Perhaps to maps then?" replied McGonagall curtly, not yet willing to let them of the hook.

"It's not my fault Professor, Malfoy was…" tried Weasley, but McGonagall would have none of it.

"Enough!" she interrupted him. "Mr. Weasley, you, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle will sit there." she said pointing the only empty desk.

"Mr. Malfoy, you will sit there." she said pointing a desk with two Gryffindors, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Her look told them clearly not to dare disagree. Harry, Jean and Daphne looked at her admiringly. It would seem that Professor McGonagall had a mean side to her.

Since all her students were now accounted for, McGonagall could begin her lesson. She started by warning them that Transfiguration was a complex as well as dangerous branch of magic and that she wouldn't stand any messing around in her class. Then she once again showed her mean side by transfiguring her desk to a lion, thus impressing anyone, and then telling them that their first lessons would be spent trying to turn matches into needles.

She moved around the classroom, giving two matches to every student, and then told them the spell and wand movements they would be using. Everyone started trying.

Where Jean was sitting, with Harry and Daphne shielding her from the eyes of the other students sitting at the front row, nobody save McGonagall could see that she wasn't using a wand but her hand. That didn't stop her from feeling like an idiot though.

The half of the time they had had already passed, and nothing had happened at Jean's match. Next to her, Harry's match was pointy and Daphne's was almost a perfect needle.

Jean scowled. It wasn't working. Whenever she used her telekinesis and telepathy, she could always feel some sort of power flowing out of her body. She now knew that power was magic. But for some reason she couldn't bring it out now.

She decided to try it differently. She put the match on her palm. She lifted it on the air, not much, merely a fraction of an inch, so that to anyone that watched it would seem that she was simply holding it. But now she could feel her magic surrounding it. She said the spell. She thought that the match became a little pointy, but that was it. She tried again, with the same lack of success. After a few more unsuccessful tries, she suddenly had an idea.

"_Visualize it."_

She tried doing it. She saw, with her mind's eye, the match becoming silver, thinner and pointer. She saw her magic swirling around it, changing it according to her wishes. She said the spell. The match became a perfect needle.

She looked at it happily and then tried again with the second match. It too became a perfect needle.

By the end of the lesson, the only people who had managed to turn their matches to needles were Daphne, Jean, Hermione Granger and Harry, who was mentally told the trick by Jean. Each was awarded with five points from professor McGonagall, while everyone else was awarded with extra homework.

"What is our next lesson?" asked Harry.

Jean checked her schedule. "Charms with Hufflepuff. What about you, Daphne?" she said.

"History with Ravenclaw. Now, how do we find the classrooms?"

"Well, fair lady, we…"

"…might be able to help." said two voices from behind them.

The three friends turned around to see the twin Weasleys standing behind them.

"Where the hell did you two come from?" asked Jean startled.

George winked at her. "Magic. Now, do you want to go to these classrooms or not?"

Jean huffed at their answer, making everyone else laugh, Jean joining in a second later.

With the George's help (Fred was guiding Daphne), they were once again the first to enter the classroom, which was an amphitheatre like those in universities. The two friends sat in the front row. They were soon joined by two Hufflepuff girls. One had red hair, though a darker shade than Jean, and the other had dirty blonde.

"Hello, my name is Susan Bones and this is my friend Hannah Abbot. Who are you two?" said the redhead energetically.

Harry and Jean exchanged a look and a smirk, the same thought going through their heads. They both stood up, bowed to Susan, and spoke together. "It's a great honor to meet the great Scion of the Most Ancient and Noble house of Bones. We are not worthy of such an honor."

Susan blushed so hard that she resembled a tomato and started to frantically wave her hands in front of her, telling that she wasn't anyone great, that they shouldn't bow to her and that…

Hannah sighed, rolled her eyes, and closed her friend's mouth with her hand, effectively stopping her babbling. "Calm down, Susan. They're simply messing with you."

Susan looked at the other two and realized that Hannah was right, since Harry and Jean were grinning so widely that their faces almost split in two.

Susan pouted, crossed her arms over her chest, and turned her back to Harry and Jean. "Meanies."

Jean and Harry laughed. "Sorry we couldn't resist. I'm Jean Gray and this is Harry Potter."

Susan and Hannah lifted an eyebrow at this. "So, should we bow to you as well, Mr. Scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter?" asked Hannah with a smirk.

Harry raised his nose and said with a pompous voice "Of course you should. Not only I'm the scion and future head of an ancient and noble house, I'm also the boy-who-lived. Common mortals like you three should worship me."

The girls managed to keep a straight face for less than thirty seconds before they started to laugh their asses off.

Harry was tempted to do the same, but manage to keep it in, opting instead to continue the façade. "How dare you mock me? I'm the boy-who-lived! I'm…" at this point Harry couldn't keep it up anymore and started to laugh alongside Jean and his two new friends.

Albus, who was watching the scene while disillusioned, smiled softly and left quietly, Happy that he had made sure to keep an eye on Harry after he left him with the Dursleys.

He had intervened the moment he found out that the Dursleys showed signs that they would abuse the boy. While it was not enough to make them love him and genuinely care for him, it was more than enough to ensure that they wouldn't abuse him and that they would leave him at his own devices most of the time.

The four friends managed to stop their laughter and sit down on their seats when they saw the rest of the students entering, followed by the professor who came in from a door at the opposite side from the one the students came in.

The Charms professor was a very short man named Flitwick. The four friends took a liking to him immediately. Their first spell he would teach them was a levitating charm, _Wingardium Levioza_. He passed them feathers to practice. Needless to say, Jean did it in a split-second, earning ten points for Gryffindor. She even remembered to say the spell, so that nobody would suspect her.

Well, nobody other than Susan who was sitting right next to her and was watching her with an open mouth. Jean whispered that she would explain later, Susan nodding in agreement.

Susan and Hermione also managed the spell, lifting their feather three feet from the ground by their fifth try, but Harry and Hannah had barely managed to lift it an inch by the end of the lesson.

Then again, they were better than Seamus, who somehow set his own on fire, or Weasley, who once again showed his stupidity by doing exactly the mistake that Professor Flitwick warned them not to do. He misspelled the spell, resulting in him almost getting squashed to death by the buffalo that appeared on top of him.

After lots of laughter from the rest of the students, and a deduction of five points from Gryffindor, Professor Flitwick had two students take Weasley to the infirmary, while the rest went to their next lesson, History of Magic with Ravenclaw for Gryffindor and Herbology with Slytherin for Hufflepuff.

Harry and Jean waved Hannah and Susan goodbye and then asked a passing Prefect to point them towards the classroom.

History of Magic was taught by the ghost of an extremely old man named Binns who had a very… unique talent. He managed to put all his students to sleep within five minutes, the only exception being Granger, who somehow managed to stay awake.

After the unexpected but very welcome nap, everyone head down to the Great Hall for lunch.

While they were eating, Harry and Jean told Fred and George about their brother's mishap. Of course, they purposefully waited until they were about to take a sip of pumpkin juice, which resulted in them spitting it out because of their laughter. Needless to say, they people sitting opposite of the twins weren't amused.

"Nice little trick, Harry, Jean. Basic, but nice." said George.

"Of course, you do understand that this means war, don't you?" asked Fred.

Harry and Jean took an innocent expression. "We have no idea what you mean. We just wanted to make you laugh." replied Harry.

"Besides, would two veterans like you really declare war on two rookies like us?" added Jean.

The twins of course didn't believe them, having taken that expression numerous times themselves.

"Yeah, yeah, of course you didn't mean it." said Fred sarcastically. "You are just lucky that we can take it as well as give it. Even if it doesn't happen that often."

"You are good for rookies though." added George. He grinned. "Maybe we should make you our apprentices."

Harry and Jean exchanged looks. That didn't sound like a bad idea…

Unfortunately, such thoughts had to wait, since the lunch time had just ended. They had two hours free before their next lesson and the two decided to spend them exploring Hogwarts. The twins couldn't accompany them because they had lessons, but that was fine with them. After all, where was the fun in exploring if you had someone with you that already knew almost everything about the place you were exploring?

They were soon approached by Hannah, Susan, Daphne and a black haired, blue eyed girl Daphne introduced as Tracey Davis. After the introductions were made between the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins, and after everyone agreed with Harry's and Jean's idea, the six children left to begin the exploration of the castle.

Deciding that the dungeons would probably be the biggest place, they decided to start from the first floor and then move upwards. They would leave the dungeons for last.

While they walked, Jean explained to Susan, Hannah and Tracey about her abilities. The tree having heard from their parents about the infamous rumor mill of Hogwarts, quickly promised to keep the secret. For as long as it managed to stay a secret anyway.

Tracey shook her head. "So, we have three Scions of Ancient and noble Houses, one being the boy-who-lived, one the nice of the Director of the Magical Law Enforcement Office and one the inheritor of the biggest trading companies. We also have a girl who can use wandless magic as easily as she's breathing and can read minds, the girl that will inherit the biggest pharmaceutical company in Magical Britain and I'm the daughter of two most known lawyers of Magical Britain."

She shook her head again, this time smiling widely. "So many possibilities."

Daphne hugged Tracey's shoulders. "Too true my dear Davis, too true. Imagine what we could do in a few years."

Harry laughed. "Okay, that's enough you two snakes. Stop planning how to rule Magical Britain. Anyway, I don't understand politics and I don't really like my fame, so I won't be of much help."

"Same here." said Susan, also laughing.

The two Slytherins pouted. "Spoilsports!" they said together.

Laughing, the six friends continued with their exploration, talking with each other and drawing the attention of everyone they passed. It wasn't everyday that you saw two Gryffindors, two Hufflepuffs and two Slytherins at the same company.

Before the day was over, through the aforementioned rumor mill, word would go around the castle about the strange company that Harry Potter kept, provoking various reactions.

Albus Dumbledore was smiling more widely than he had smiled in the last forty years, possibly the last century.

McGonagall was very proud of her two lions that were taking the first steps towards the unification of the school. The thought of the reaction of Severus Snape didn't fail to amuse her either.

Flitwick was also proud of the son of his favourite student, although, in a bout of House pride, he hoped that a few of his Ravens would also join Harry's company.

Sprout, as head of a house that valued friendship and loyalty above all else, was extremely proud of Susan and Hannah that managed to look beyond petty prejudices and befriend two Slytherins.

Severus Snape was angry beyond imagination and was trying to find a loophole in Dumbledore's orders like a man possessed. He would be damned if he let the influence of the spawn of the trice-cursed James Potter mar the great house of Salazar Slytherin.

The Slytherins worthy of the name were trying to find ways to enter-and exploit- such a promising circle of 'friends'.

The Malfoy-like Slytherins were plotting against Harry and the two 'traitors'.

The Ravenclaws, especially the older ones, were wondering what changes this would bring to the school.

The Hufflepuffs were simply happy for their two housemates.

As for the Gryffindors… The less fanatical ones were actually happy for the development. Prominent in this group were the older girls. It was a little known fact amongst the younger students and the boys, but most fifth, sixth and seventh year girls of the school didn't really bother with house rivalries.

As for the fanatical Gryffindors, they were split between believing that the Slytherins tricked Harry and believing that Harry betrayed them.

The twins, on the other hand, were swearing up, down, left, right and centre that Harry was their long lost younger brother and promised each other that they would unleash untold amounts of humiliation on anyone who bothered him and his friends…after Harry and his friends were done with the unfortunate idiots who annoyed them.

Harry and his friends, blissfully unaware (for now) of all this, continued on with their exploration. They soon found out that Hogwarts was even larger than it looked. In the two hours they had, they only managed to explore the first floor and the beginning of the second. They got lost three times and they were sure that they had missed things.

But they didn't have time to worry about that now. They had to head for their next lesson, Defense Against the Dark Arts for Harry, Jean, Daphne and Tracey and Potions for Susan and Hannah.

The DADA was, quite frankly, a disappointment. The professor, Quirell, couldn't speak a single sentence without stuttering at least five times. The students barely managed to learn his name, let alone what the class would cover.

After that sorry excuse of a lesson was over, much to the relief of all students, even Granger's, the Gryffindors and Slytherins went to the dungeons for the Potions lesson and its infamous teacher, Snape.

They barely had time to sit down and take out their books, when Severus Snape enter the classroom, his robes billowing behind him.

Harry had to admit it looked cool.

Snape sent a glare around the classroom that made everyone shut up faster than you could say 'magic'. He started to call the names of the students, sending a glare at each one when they answered his call. He stopped when he reached Harry's name. "Ah yes. Harry Potter, our new…celebrity".

Harry bit his tongue to keep a sarcastic response down, which became all the more difficult when he heard Malfoy and his cronies sniggering. He did feel better when he saw Daphne and Tracey glaring at them.

Once Snape was finished making sure that all students were present he she started to pace back and forth and spoke, his voice so low that everyone had to strain their ears to listen.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of

potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stop death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

There were various reactions to the professor's speech. Some raised their eyebrows. Some exchanged looks with their friends. Some, namely Malfoy and his clique, smiled smugly. The only one who didn't do any of those thins was Granger, who looked almost ready to jump out of her seat at her quest to prove se wasn't a dunderhead.

Harry was sure there was something wrong with the girl. He doubted even the Ravenclaws were that passionate for their schoolwork.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" asked Snape suddenly. Dumbledore surely couldn't fault Snape for asking Potter questions, now could he?

Harry could practically smell the trouble coming. Snape for some reason either harbored an extreme dislike against him, or outright hated him. There was no other way to explain the vindictiveness that was clear on his face. The fact that he didn't know the answer to the question didn't help either.

Luckily for him, while Jean wasn't Hermione Granger, she still liked reading and had good memory.

They are the main ingredients of the strongest sleeping potion, the Draught of Living Death, sir." answered Harry, much to the disappointment of Hermione, who had raised her hand as soon as the question left Snape's mouth.

Snape merely narrowed his eyes "Potter! Where would I look if I wanted to find a bezoar and what is a bezoar?" once again Snape asked Harry a question that Harry was sure no one else other than Granger, Jean and maybe Daphne could answer.

"Bezoar is an antidote for most poisons provided it's administered fast enough and can be found at the stomach of a goat, sir." once again Jean sent Harry the answer, and once again Hermione's hand fell down in disappointment.

"What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"They are one and the same plant, also known as aconite, sir."

Snape was so angry it took all his self control to keep himself from shaking. How could the Potter brat know the answer to these questions? He certainly didn't look like the kind that would read his schoolbooks cover to cover AND remember every single detail.

"Well?" he snapped to the rest of the classroom. "Why aren't you all taking notes?"

After the Q&A session, Snape ordered the students to split into pairs. The four friends exchanged glances… and promptly sat down in two pairs. Jean with Tracey and Harry with Daphne.

This of course didn't escape Snape's attention. "Potter! What do you think you are doing?"

Harry looked up at the professor with a look of mock confusion. "What do you mean sir?"

"I mean what are you doing sitting with Miss Greengrass, Potter!"

Harry kept the same look on his face "Wasn't it you who told us to sit in pairs sir? I assure you that Daphne has no problem with me sitting with her."

"Five points from Gryffindor for you cheek, Potter. And sit with someone else. You aren't allowed to sit with members of other houses." barked Snape triumphantly.

While Harry was once again biting his tongue to keep himself from giving a _really_ cheeky answer, Daphne wasn't ready to take the bullying of her new friend without fighting back.

"Just what are you talking about Professor Snape? I've read Hogwarts's rulebook, and there is no such rule. And for all the privileges your position as a Professor gives to you, creating rules of your own without the approval of the Headmaster isn't one of them." she stated, a look in her face that could send lions running for cover.

For all his faults, Snape wasn't so easily intimidated. However, before he could reply, Tracey decided to join in on the fun.

"The Scion of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Greengrass is correct in her claims, Professor Snape. You have no such right. In fact, you attempting to do so is enough to request the interference of the Board of Governors and can result to you getting under observation or even fired!" stated Tracey in a way that would have made her parents proud were they there to see it.

Being an idiot wasn't one of Snape's faults either. While usually he didn't have anything to fear from the Board of Governors due to the fact that Lucius Malfoy practically ruled it, the fact that two Scions of Ancient and Noble House where involved made things uncertain. If Davis's parents got involved as well, Snape was screwed and he knew it. Those two could find a way to bring him to court and lock him into Azkaban even for something as small as this. So he did the smart thing and relented much as he hated it.

"Fine," he snapped "you can stay as you are. Now everyone get ready. We have little more than one hour left. It should be enough for you to create a potion that cures boils-if you have even the smallest amount of talent that is. Instructions," he waved his wand, "are on the board. Begin."

During the next hour, Jean, Tracey and Harry managed to create the potion with the help of Daphne, who proved to have quite the talent on potions.

Needless to say, this annoyed Snape to no end, since he couldn't find a way to harass Potter and his friends. So he spent his time praising Malfoy and harassing Neville Longbottom. By the time the lesson ended, the poor boy had lost twenty points and was at the point of tears, earning Snape the unending hate of yet another generation of Gryffindors.

Once the lesson was over, everyone headed to the Great Hall for dinner. Once he was sure no one was close enough to hear them, Harry thanked Jean profusely for saving his ass when Snape was asking him the questions.

Jean just waved him off and instead congratulated Daphne and Tracey for making Snape back off like that.

The two raised their noses. "Well, of course. What did you expect. We are the daughters of an old pureblood house and of lawyers. It's natural that we would know how to send those that annoy us running." said Daphne with a proud voice, Tracey nodding in agreement.

Once they reached the Great Hall and sat down to eat, Harry and Jean were bombarded with questions about what happened in the potions classroom.

Once Harry and Jean recounted the events, thus confirming what the students that have returned earlier have said, the twins exchanged a look, nodded at each other, stood up, and started to go around the Gryffindor table, asking each house member something that Harry couldn't hear.

Once the twins were done, they removed a piece of parchment from their bags and wrote something. Then they waved their wands over them and the parchments folded themselves to two paper airplanes and flew at the Slytherin table.

Harry and Jean raised their eyebrows and asked the twins what they were up two. The twins grinned and answered. The two younger children grinned right back and high-fived the twins.

Daphne and Tracey were simply given the cold shoulder, since even the most vocal of Slytherins would rather wait until they were at the privacy of their common room before confronting the two girls. That's when two paper airplanes landed in front of them.

The two girls opened them, curious about what they were. They were identical letters.

_Ms Greengrass/Ms Davis_

_ Thanks to your admirable and most amusing defense of our classmate Harry Potter against the overgrown slimy bat that is known as Severus Snape, we are pleased to inform you that you are now considered honorary member of the Gryffindor house. It is a position that you will keep for as long as you don't start treating us like most snakes do (that is, attacking as verbally, physically, or magically without reason). Should a Gryffindor act against you without a DAMN good reason, feel free to deal with him/her as you see fit. Of course, we will punish them ourselves anyway, but know that you have that right._

_ With great pleasure,_

_ The overwhelming majority of Gryffindor house._

_PS: If any snakes give you grief over this, please inform us post haste and we will deal with them in our own 'special' manner. If for some reason you don't know what this means, feel free to ask any of the older students._

_ The Twins_

Daphne and Tracey smiled at one another, happy that the house of their friends accepted them and gave Harry, Jean and the Twins, that were looking at them, a thumbs-up. They all smiled and returned it.

When went back to eating his fried potatoes, his saw Dumbledore wink at him and slightly raise his glass. Harry smiled and repeated the gestures.

Soon enough the meal was over and everyone went back to their common rooms. Harry and Jean, aside from some people that warned them that "the filthy snakes are using you" and who were duly noted as future prank victims, were more or less left alone and started to do their home work.

Daphne and Tracey, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time. They were confronted by Malfoy as soon as they entered the common room.

"Well, well, the blood traitors actually remember where their common room is." drawled Malfoy, flanked as always by his lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle. The other members of the house were looking silently from the sidelines.

The two simply ignored him and headed towards a nearby table with two chairs near it to do their homework.

Angry at their silent and casual dismissal of him, Malfoy stood in their way.

"I'm talking to you, Davis, Greengrass. Now listen well. This had better be the last time you consort with the likes of Potter or else…"

"Or else what, Draco Malfoy?" snapped Daphne interrupting him and giving him the same look she had given Snape.

Malfoy and his goons were much more easily intimidated than Snape and actually took a few backwards steps.

Daphne walked forward pressing her advantage. "Who are you talking to in that tone Draco Malfoy? Who are you talking to like you were their better? If I remember correctly your family has what, 200 years of history? Mine has 1000 and Tracey's has 400. Both of ours are much richer than yours. So let me ask again, since it can't be me or Tracey, just who are talking to like that, Draco Lucius Malfoy? Just who do you think you are giving orders to?" she shouted, the older students nodding in agreement with her words.

Lineage played a very important role in the Slytherin house, even more so than wealth. For a student to try and order around another student whose family was both older and richer than his won was unacceptable.

Draco, while shaken, actually still believed that he was superior. His father ruled the Slytherin house during his time, he would do the same! "I AM better than you, Greengrass! And you will do as I tell you to, otherwise my father will…"

"Repulso!" the banishing curse barely threw Draco two feet back, but from a first year that was damn impressive.

Daphne moved forward and pointed her wand at Malfoy's face. "You father? Are you daft Malfoy? What has your father to do with anything? This is between you, me and Tracey. If you want, however, to make this a family matter, by all means, go ahead and do so. I wonder how long it would take our families to impoverish yours. I bet two months, tops. So, if you want to become poorer than the Weasleys, by all means, go ahead and involve you father. So what do you have to say, Malfoy?"

Draco, tried to signal Crabbe and Goyle to help him, but Tracey had her own wand pointed at them, and after what they saw Daphne do they didn't want to risk it.

Sparks left Daphne's wand, showing her anger and impatience. "I'm waiting, Malfoy!"

Malfoy murmured something.

"What was that? I didn't hear you. You were speaking so clearly before, Malfoy, what happened now?" mocked Tracey, not taking her eyes, off Crabbe and Goyle.

"Fine! I admit I was wrong and was out of place." said Malfoy, trembling with anger and humiliation.

Daphne looked at him for a few seconds more and nodded sharply, before turning around and moving for her room, Tracey at her heels.

Draco did the same, the chuckles and laughs of his housemates adding to his humiliation.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the riduculously long wait, but there were various reasons for it, including but not limited to: family problems, computer problems and my own laziness. Anyway, I think I can promise that you won't have to go through it again.  
**


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